Archaeology

Faculty
The Major
Honors
The Minor

Archaeology is an interdisciplinary field at Cornell, which is one of the few universities in the United States to offer a separate undergraduate major and a master’s degree specifically in archaeology. Archaeology majors are administered by the Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies (CIAMS). CIAMS faculty members, affiliated with several departments, coordinate course offerings and help students identify opportunities for fieldwork, graduate study, and professional positions.

Website: archaeology.cornell.edu

Faculty

A. T. Smith (Anthropology), director; M. Velasco (Anthropology), director of undergraduate studies; L. Khatchadourian (Near Eastern Studies), director of graduate studies; A. Alexandridis (History of Art), B. W. Anderson (History of Art), C. Barrett (Classics), S. Baugher (Landscape Architecture), L. Brown (Earth & Atmospheric Sciences), J. Chusid (City & Regional Planning), A. Cohen-Aponte (History of Art), M. Fiskesjö (Anthropology), F. Gleach (Anthropology), K.L. Gleason (Landscape Architecture), D.N. Green (Fiber Science and Apparel Design), J.S. Henderson (Anthropology), K. Jordan (Anthropology and American Indian and Indigenous Studies), S. Manning (Classics), C. Monroe (Near Eastern Studies), L. Monroe (Near Eastern Studies), V. Platt (Classics), E. Rebillard (Classics), N. Russell (Anthropology), B. S. Strauss (History)

The Major

Declaring the Major:

No prerequisite courses are necessary before declaring the archaeology major.
To declare a major and be assigned a major advisor, students should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Matthew Velasco (mcv47@cornell.edu).

Note: In addition to the major requirements outlined below, all students must meet the college graduation requirements .

Requirements for the major:

Coursework requirements

32 credit hours of Archaeology courses or related fields
16 of the credit hours must be at the 3000-level or above.

Major distribution requirements

Students are required to take the following number of courses from different categories within the Archaeology course offerings .

Comparative Survey: One course.
Methods/Theory: Two courses.
Regional Concentrations: Students must take a minimum of one course in at least two different regional concentrations.

Some notes on course credits

Students select their courses in consultation with their major advisor. In some areas of specialization, intensive language training should be coordinated with other studies as early as the first year.
To receive credit towards the major, students must receive a grade of C or better within a course.
A maximum of 4 of the 32 required credit hours can come from independent study courses (e.g., ARKEO 3000 - Undergraduate Independent Study in Archaeology and Related Fields ).

Fieldwork Requirement

Students are required to participate in some form of hands-on research experience approved by their advisor and the DUS. Students may obtain research experience through a range of means, including but not limited to traditional fieldwork, and students should consult with their advisor about what kind of research might best meet their needs and interests.
This requirement may be waived in exceptional circumstances.
Scholarship opportunities for research and fieldwork: For those students who opt to pursue research that would require travel beyond Cornell, both CIAMS and the College of Arts and Sciences provide substantial funding to reduce or eliminate costs associated with undergraduate participation in extramural fieldwork or other kinds of materials-based research: see further information at archaeology.cornell.edu/funding.

Honors

Requirements for Honors:

Honors in archaeology are awarded on the basis of the quality of an honors essay and the student’s overall academic record.
Requirements for prospective honors students include:
- 3.5 GPA in the major
- 3.0 GPA overall
- Senior thesis
  - During the senior year, students enroll in ARKEO 4981 - Honors Thesis Research and ARKEO 4982 - Honors Thesis Write-Up .
  - Both courses are offered in the fall and spring. Only ARKEO 4981 may count toward hours for completion of the archaeology major requirements. The credit hours for these courses are variable.
Students applying for honors should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Matthew Velasco (mcv47@cornell.edu), before the beginning of the senior year.

The Minor

Declaring the minor:

No prerequisite courses are necessary before joining the minor.
To declare a minor and be assigned a minor advisor, students should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Matthew Velasco (mcv47@cornell.edu).

Requirements for the minor:

Coursework requirements

Students must take 5 archaeology courses, including courses from the following categories:

Comparative Survey: One course.
Methods/Theory: One course.
Regional Concentrations: Students must take a minimum of one course in at least two different regional concentrations.

Note: To receive course credit towards the minor, students must receive a grade of C or better.

Fieldwork: recommended, but not required

Minors are encouraged to gain some fieldwork experience, but it is not required.
Scholarship opportunities for research and fieldwork: Minors are eligible for funding in support of research and fieldwork on the same basis as majors. See archaeology.cornell.edu/funding.